Rennie Scaysbrook | August 21, 2023
Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix rider Gary Vines has passed away following an accident on his first lap of official timed practice for the 2023 Manx Grand Prix held at the Isle of Man on Sunday, August 20.
Vines was involved in an incident at the notorious Ballagarey corner at Glen Vine, succumbing to his injuries later that night in hospital.
A statement from the Manx Grand Prix organizers read, “It is with a heavy heart that the organizer of the Manx Grand Prix Races can confirm that Gary Vines, 33, from Colchester, UK, succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident during the first qualifying session of the 2023 event,” the statement said.
Vines was a popular figure in the road racing community. He was 33.
“Gary was a regular competitor at the Manx Grand Prix, making his debut in 2015 where he took a highly impressive victory in the Newcomers B Race. He earned another podium in the 2018 Lightweight Race, and also secured top-ten finishes at the Classic TT.
“He competed in the Supersport Races at the 2022 and 2023 TT Races, posting his fastest ever lap of the TT Mountain Course this year at an average speed of 118.488mph. Away from the Isle of Man Gary was a well-known and respected figure of the two-stroke and classic racing scene, and was a familiar face at the GP Originals championship and at the Goodwood Members’ Meetings. Gary was also a skilled off-road rider, and had contested the notorious Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro rallye.
“Everyone involved in the organization of the Manx Grand Prix would like to express their deepest sympathies to Gary’s family, his partner, his loved ones, and friends.”
Rennie tries to hang onto the back of Vines during their battle in the first Supersport TT of 2022.
Vines first competed at the Isle of Man in 2015 on a Yamaha TZ250 two-stroke, securing victory against a grid of Supertwin machines. He was also a regular at the Isle of Man TT, racing in the Supersport category on his own immaculately prepared Honda CBR600RR.
I had the pleasure of racing Gary last year while I was riding for the PRF Suzuki team and shared a pit tent with him when I switched to the Kibosh BMW team. Gary was a lovely man with an insatiable love of tinkering with his CBR, indeed, I’m sure it was the cleanest and best-prepared CBR600RR at the Isle of Man this year.
Our thoughts are with Gary’s many family and friends.
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